The Ottawa Senators have loaned one of their goaltending prospects to Sweden, a Montreal Canadiens former third-round pick scores his first SHL goal and we take a look at 2020 NHL Draft prospect Tyler Kleven.
Senators Loan Gustavsson To Sweden
The Senators have loaned Swedish goaltender Filip Gustavsson to Sodertalje SK of the HockeyAllsvenskan in Sweden. Drafted 55th overall in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft, he spent the 2019-20 season playing for the Belleville Senators in the American Hockey League. He played 24 games finishing the season with a 15-6-3 record, a .889 save percentage and 3.23 goals-against average. It was the 22-year-old’s second full season in North America after coming over from Sweden. He has yet to make his NHL debut for the Ottawa Senators.
Now that the Senators have parted ways with Craig Anderson, Gustavsson will be looking for a permanent role with the team during the 2020-21 season. He will return to the Senators when the 2020-21 NHL training camps open.
Canadiens’ Norlinder Records First SHL Goal
It was a big night for Canadiens prospect Mattias Norlinder who scored his first-ever SHL goal on Sunday. Drafted 64th overall in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft, he spent the 2019-20 season playing with MODO Hockey in the SHL. It was announced earlier this year that Norlinder would play for Frölunda HC during the 2020-21 season.
His goal was a powerful one-timer on the power play set up by top prospect in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft, Lucas Raymond. Norlinder is set to spend the full season in Sweden, his first playing in the SHL. Canadiens fans should be excited by his impressive start.
Prospect of the Day – Tyler Kleven
For today’s prospect, we head to the United States National U18 Team to take a look at defenseman Tyler Kleven. NHL Central Scouting has Kleven ranked 42nd among North American skaters. In his final rankings, THW’s Larry Fisher ranked him 76th among all players.
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Kleven spent the 2019-20 season playing for the United States National U18 Team where he scored two goals and 12 points in 45 games played. He also represented the USNTDP Juniors in the USHL where he posted two assists in 17 games played. He was tied for fifth in team scoring among defensemen with Brock Faber. He also led the team in penalty minutes with 63, which was nine minutes higher than his closest teammate.
Kleven is the prototypical modern stay-at-home defenseman. He’s a commanding physical presence at 6-foot-4, and he is fully capable of using it to his advantage. He’s been known to throw a big open-ice hit on occasion and isn’t afraid to stick up for his teammates. His reach allows him to break up plays with his stick and his excellent position means he’s rarely put in a position where he can get beat. He has a good first pass to transition the puck quickly out of his own zone. His skating is average, but not underwhelming for his size.
THW’s own Mathieu Sheridan had this to say about how Kleven uses his size to his advantage:
Standing at 6-foot-4, Kleven’s presence is certainly felt on the ice. He is great at protecting the puck from opponents and does most of his damage in the corners and around the net. He is very adept at clearing his net of any danger and uses his long stick to intercept passes and block passing lanes.
Kleven is bound to get the old-school general managers excited come Oct. 6. With his throwback style and size, he should have no problem attracting interest from a number of teams. Right now, he’s projected to go somewhere in the second or third round of the 2020 NHL Entry Draft. He’s got all the tools to be a capable NHL defenseman and will be a nice complementary piece to a team’s blue line.